title: Combating child obesity: impact of HENRY on parenting and family lifestyle.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  One-quarter of children in England are overweight/obese at school entry. We investigated the impact of a programme designed to provide parents of infants and preschool children with the skills required for a healthier family lifestyle.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cohort of families was followed across the 8-week HENRY (Health Exercise Nutrition for the Really Young) parent course at nine locations in England. Seventy-seven parents enrolled on the course, of which 71 agreed to complete questionnaires addressing eating behaviours, dietary intake and parental self-efficacy. Pre- and post-course data was available from 60 (84.5%) parents (8-week follow-up data from 58 parents) and was analysed using repeated measures analyses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Significant changes were observed, with most sustained at follow-up. Parents reported increased self-efficacy and ability to encourage good behaviour (P < 0.001). Increased consumption of fruits and vegetables was reported in both children and adults, together with reduced consumption of sweets, cakes and fizzy drinks in adults (all P < 0.01). There were also positive changes in eating behaviours (e.g., frequency of family mealtimes and eating while watching television or in response to negative emotion [P < 0.01] ) and reduced screen time in adults (P < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results build upon earlier evaluation, indicating that the HENRY intervention has a beneficial impact upon the families of infants and preschool children. Furthermore, the findings suggest that positive changes inspired by the programme can be maintained beyond its completion. Such changes may serve to protect against later obesity.
authors.affiliation: Leeds Institute of Health Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
authors.forename: T A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Willis
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: George
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hunt
authors.forename: K P J
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Roberts
authors.forename: C E L
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Evans
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: M C J
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Rudolf
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D055812:Community-Based Participatory Research; D004032:Diet; D004739:England / Q000453:epidemiology; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D008612:Menu Planning / Q000639:trends; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology / Q000639:trends*; D010290:Parents; D063766:Pediatric Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D064787:Portion Size / Q000639:trends; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Childhood obesity; obesity prevention; parental self-efficacy; preschool children